


Thunder

by inquisitor_of_art



Series: The Star-Crossed Lovers Series [1]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: All the Flirting, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demisexual Characters, Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Character, Panromantic Character(s), Present Tense, Romance, Tragedy, hinted attraction between FemShep and Kaidan, transgender character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-05-04 21:34:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14602182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_of_art/pseuds/inquisitor_of_art
Summary: "No matter how strong you are, allies make you stronger."Thunder, noun (thuhn-der) - a loud, explosive, resounding noise produced by the explosive expansion of air heated by a lightning discharge. See also: the consequences of one Commander Hailey Shepard's actions, during the hunt for rogue Spectre Saren Arterius in a race against time to find the Conduit.





	1. .:~ Prologue ~:.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Mass Effect story on AO3, and I'm very excited to start sharing the journey of my non-binary OC, Hailey Shepard, from ME1 all the way through to ME3 (and possibly even beyond). They'll come across many obstacles that I, the author, will thoroughly enjoy throwing in their path. They'll find love, hate, regret and friendship across the galaxy. They'll reunite with friends and family, piss a lot of people off, and potentially save the galactic community from certain extinction.
> 
> Also, as a note about Hailey's identity and pronouns: all work for Hailey on my blog will use they/them, but in writing I'll be using she/her. Hailey prefers they/them, but doesn't mind she/her.
> 
> Events that take place may or may not be similar to events in the game; this story follows my "canon" Shepard in their race to stop the Milky Way from being destroyed by the Reapers. Scenarios that occur in-game (like the Spectre induction sequence) will be directly quoted, and thus marked with an asterisk (*) at the beginning to emphasis that it is taken straight from the game, no revisions whatsoever.
> 
> I do recommend keeping tissues on you in case you cry. If I mention in the notes at the beginning of a chapter that I cried whilst writing it, you can be damn sure you'll cry while reading it.
> 
> I cannot promise a regular upload schedule, as I am writing, editing and uploading this story in between all my college work for my graphics and photography course. However, I will be posting excerpts from chapters on my Tumblr (inquisitionartist.tumblr.com), so check it out if you want to receive semi-regular updates.
> 
> Thank you for reading this author's note. I should go, let Hailey Shepard take over and tell her story.

**April 11th, 2172 (Terran Coordinated Universal Time)**

‘Do you believe in destiny?’

It’s a question she doesn’t mean to ask, but it slips out anyway. Desmond turns to look at her with a quizzical – almost comical – expression. ‘That’s an odd question, Hailey.’ Her twin brother can’t seem to resist the chance to rib her. ‘It’s not like you to ask all the deep shit. That’s my job as the resident Shepard in the existential crisis zone.’

‘I’m going to kill you and make it look like an accident.’ She’s simply rewarded with her brother’s dorky laughter, and Hailey Shepard rolls her eyes. ‘I just mean… do you ever think you were destined for something? Or do you believe that we have control over our own destinies?’

They’re sitting together in the old, disused ventilation shafts of the SSV _Melbourne_ , their least common hiding place from their parents and teachers, sharing a bottle of whisky between them to celebrate their eighteenth birthday. No one looks for them here, and for good reason – the shafts often become blocked, and anyone foolish enough to climb inside is stuck until the night shift, when the engineers make the rounds. But the Shepard twins aren’t particularly bothered, since they prefer being somewhere out of the way. Des wraps his arm around her shoulders, and Hailey leans into her brother’s embrace.

‘I think,’ he says quietly, and Hailey looks up at him, almost expectantly, ‘that people _might_ be destined for something great or terrible – but _they_ control how they get there, they don’t let Fate interfere.’

She can’t help making a snarky comment. ‘Gee, when did you become so smart?’ Des just nudges her leg with his as a playful rebuttal.

‘I told you, suffering from an indefinite existential crisis might be terrible for your self-esteem, but it does wonders for your intelligence.’

‘You’re a dick.’

Des shrugs nonchalantly. ‘It’s a gift.’ Hailey gives him a deadpan stare.

‘I reiterate: _you’re a dick_.’

It’s not until many years later, when the innocence of childhood is far behind them and she’s forgotten what her brother’s true laughter sounds like, that Hailey wonders if Desmond had it right all along.


	2. Eden Prime (pt.1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait! I've had zero time to myself to be able to work on any of my stories lately, what with work and clearing out the house. But finally (3 months later) I've finished the first chapter and am ready to release it! I hope you all enjoy it :)

**Mess Hall, Alliance Headquarters, Vancouver, Earth**  
**June 2nd, 2183 (TCUT)**

The man in front of her devours his food with a savagery that she hasn’t seen since the aftermath of the Skyllian Blitz. Hailey watches Desmond eat with the ferocity and eagerness of a starving man, stirring her coffee slowly. ‘Hungry, I’m assuming?’

‘Famished,’ her twin replies through a mouthful of chicken. She sniggers at the spectacle he presents to the mess hall. ‘I haven't had food this good for months.’

‘It’s just standard military provisions, though.’

Desmond points his fork in her direction, with another bit of chicken skewered on the end. ‘You try living off nothing but processed protein paste for five months because you’re working on some Alliance-Turian initiative and literally everyone else at the base is a turian so you can’t contaminate their food with yours, then tell me that standard military provisions aren’t the most decadent meals you’ve ever had.’

‘You do realise I had the same things when I was on Akuze, right?’ Hailey sips from her mug, watching her brother resume eating and eyes falling to the N7 dog tags swinging over the top of his shirt. Desmond raises an eyebrow.

‘Oh, we’re talking about Akuze now, are we?’ He swallows the last remnants of his meal, picking at his teeth with a wooden toothpick. He folds his arms in front of him, rests them on the table, and gives his sister a look - _the_ look, the one he’s used on her since they were children, to get her to divulge her feelings. Hailey groans, rolling her eyes.

‘Des, it’s been six years. I think I can talk about Akuze without having a nervous breakdown. Stop looking at me like you’re my fucking therapist.’

‘Watch your profanity,’ he simply replies with a smirk. ‘Besides, you’ve never spoken about Akuze with me. It’s different. You tell me things you’ve never told anyone else.’ He glances around, to see if anyone’s listening in on their conversation. ‘Bet you still haven’t told mum and dad you’re into girls.’

Hailey groans again. ‘You got me. No, I haven’t come out to mum and dad yet.’

‘What's the problem? They accepted me wanting to be a guy with no problem, why do you think they’d have a problem about your preference to bone girls?’

‘You’re disgusting.’

‘I'm right, though, aren’t I?’

She sighs, holding her mug in both hands, even as her coffee gets colder. ‘I don’t… It’s different.’ She looks up into her twin’s expectant eyes. ‘When you told mum and dad you wanted to transition, to live as your authentic self - a guy, rather than a girl - that’s just it. You weren’t coming out, just getting on the path to being yourself.’

‘But I still had to tell them I wanted to transition,’ Desmond points out. ‘That in itself is a form of coming out. I was telling someone other than my reflection - and you, I suppose - that I wanted the chance to be me, or however it was you so eloquently put it.’ Hailey rolls her eyes once more.

‘Yeah, but you’re being you. Your true self. My sexuality is different. I mean…’ She pauses. ‘What if they don’t like the girl I’m dating? What if they think she isn’t right for me? What if-’

‘That’s an awful lot of _what ifs_ , Hay.’

Hailey groans loudly, resting her face in her hands. ‘Fuck, you’re bringing out the stupid nicknames we gave each other as kids?’

Desmond shrugs. ‘If it gets you to listen to me, sure.’

She peeks at her younger twin from behind her hands, fingers parting to allow her a modicum of vision. ‘Alright, Jonathan Desmond Shepard. Hit me with your worst.’

Desmond steeples the tips of his fingers together, peering at Hailey intently. ‘We both know mum and dad don’t give a shit about someone’s sexuality. I’ve come home multiple times in the past with guys and they’ve never batted an eyelid. You’re worried about their reaction to you potentially being in a relationship with an alien more than their reaction to you being in a relationship with a woman.’

‘…was it that easy to figure out?’

Her twin just gives her _the look_ again. ‘Hay, the pinups you had in your room when we were teenagers were all asari or turian women. Something tells me you find humans boring, if for no other reason than you’ve only ever slept with human women when you needed stress relief.’

‘Yeah, and you had pictures of buff dudes everywhere as a reminder that eventually you might be able to look like them,’ she shoots back, and her twin winces slightly at the jibe. She glances around the mess hall. ‘Look, I don’t want to fight with you about this. I’ll tell them soon. I promise,’ she adds as Desmond raises an eyebrow disbelievingly.

They take their trays over to the bins, throwing away their empty plates and cups. Hailey thinks about what Desmond said, and knows that he’s right, no matter how much she wants to put it off.

Desmond wraps an arm around her shoulders, and she looks up at him with a smile. ‘Now, why don’t you tell me about this Alliance-Turian initiative you’ve been a part of for the past half a year? It sounds a bit too formal to be something militaristic.’ Her brother laughs.

‘Trust me, you’re wrong on that one.’

* * *

 

‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.’

Desmond smirks at her back as Hailey eagerly presses her hands against the window, gazing at the gorgeous ship in the hangar bay. ‘Sleek, right?’

Hailey looks at her brother. ‘It's _amazing_. You worked on this?’

Des hums. ‘Security, mostly. Almost got fired when some cocky pilot stole the _Normandy_ and then flew her better than the guy that was hired in the first place.’

‘ _What?!_ ’

‘Yeah, that was fun,’ he continues, without outwardly acknowledging Hailey’s response. ‘Captain Anderson and the turian general, Invectus, said that he’s the kind of guy they want piloting her. In the interest of, as Invectus said, “continued turian-human relations,” he basically told Anderson and Captain Dillard to keep this guy as the pilot, since he was obviously leagues better than the man who was originally meant to fly the _Normandy_ , despite the fact that the new pilot is a cripple.’

‘They have a cripple piloting this ship?’ Hailey asks dubiously, turning back to look at the _Normandy_. Desmond makes a non-committal noise in the back of his throat.

‘Good flier, though. Completed the trials with plenty of spare time while under fire, and avoided every incoming projectile with ease. I trust him.’ Desmond pauses. ‘Not that it’s my place to make a judgment on who’s part of the crew. That’s your job.’ It takes him a moment to realise what he just said, and then claps his hands over his mouth, looking guilty. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

Hailey feels the gravity of the statement weigh down on her as she stares at the _Normandy_. ‘I’m… what? Are you saying…’ Her omni-tool pings an alert. The twins look at it together. With just a breath of hesitation, Hailey opens the message.

 

From: ADMIRAL STEVEN HACKETT, ALLIANCE FIFTH FLEET, ARCTURUS STATION (ARCTURUS STREAM)

To: STAFF-COMMANDER JANE HAILEY SHEPARD, ALLIANCE HQ, VANCOUVER, EARTH

Subject: REASSIGNMENT

Commander Shepard,

I’m writing to let you know that as of **JUNE 2ND, 2183 (TERRAN COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME)** , you have been reassigned from **ALLIANCE HEADQUARTERS** to serve as Executive Officer aboard the SSV _Normandy_ SR1. You are expected to report to the ship at least ninety minutes before departure from Earth at **0800** hours on the morning of **JUNE 15TH, 2183 (TCUT)**. You will be serving under Captain David Anderson, and are expected to follow his orders compliantly.

Regards,

Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance Fifth Fleet

 

Hailey turns to look at Desmond. Her twin simply claps his hand on her shoulder, smiling broadly. ‘Congrats, Hay. You've earned it.’

Once more, Hailey looks back at the _Normandy_. She says nothing for a beat.

‘...holy shit.’

* * *

 

**SSV Normandy SR1, Alliance Headquarters, Vancouver, Earth**  
**June 15th, 2183 (TCUT)**  
**0800**

Her footlocker is sealed tight, packed with everything she could think of wanting to bring with her - toothbrush, spare hair ties, clippers to keep her hair cropped short on the sides, general body care items, a couple of books, and her civvies - and she ensures that her armour is assembled properly. She’s left her helmet down in the armoury - no need for it right now. Fiddling with the chest piece, Hailey makes her way up the stairs to the main level of the ship.

The combat information centre - CIC - is filled with new technological breakthroughs. The galaxy map glows softly as she walks past, and changes to show an overview of the ship. The ship’s doctor, a woman named Karin Chakwas, is standing and talking to a young recruit - Jenkins, she remembers overhearing him introduce himself to the captain. The man ranked beneath her, Navigator Pressly, gives her a curt nod.

She joins the pilot and the lieutenant-commander (a biotic, Kaidan Alenko) on the bridge. Following her, almost silently, their fellow passenger stands with his hands behind his back. Hailey feels very small next to him, not accounting for the fact that he must be at least a foot and a half taller than she is - and she’s already quite tall compared to most of her comrades.

‘Alliance HQ, this is Flight-Lieutenant Moreau. SSV _Normandy_ SR1 is ready for take-off.’ Hailey glances at the back of Moreau’s head. _So this is the crippled man who was allowed to pilot this ship despite stealing her…_ She keeps her thoughts to herself, however. The radio crackles into life.

‘ _Acknowledged, Flight-Lieutenant Moreau. Godspeed._ ’

The pre-flight checks all come back positive; the docking clamps release, and the _Normandy_ leaves Earth for the first time, on her maiden voyage.

_Desmond was right_ , Hailey muses, _Moreau flies her like a dream, like this ship is an extension of himself_. She places her hands on her hips as the _Normandy_ sails past the planets in the solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune all pass by smoothly. They begin their approach to the Charon relay, just past Pluto.

‘Board is green. Approach run has begun.’ Moreau is focused on his job, eyebrows furrowed slightly beneath the brim of his cap. The ship gets closer and closer to the relay. Hailey holds onto the back of Moreau’s chair with one hand, steadying herself for the relay jump, the other anchored to her hip. ‘Hitting the relay in three… two… one…’

In the same amount of time it takes Hailey to neck three fingers of Jack Daniels and coca cola (“ _fottutatmente leggero_ ,” she can hear Desmond’s teasing in her head, in their native Italian), the _Normandy_ has jumped across space, from the Sol system to the Exodus Cluster.

*’Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under fifteen-hundred K.’ _Okay, the guy’s just gloating now._

The turian Spectre next to her nods approvingly. ‘Fifteen-hundred is good. Your captain will be pleased.’ He turns and leaves them, heading for the comm room to meet with Captain Anderson.

Moreau looks around his chair as Nihlus Kryik walks away, and then says with a slight tinge of resentment, ‘I hate that guy.’

Hailey raises an eyebrow at Alenko, who’s sat to Moreau’s right and has turned to smirk at the pilot. ‘Nihlus gave you a compliment… so you hate him?’

Moreau rolls his eyes, exasperated. ‘You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That’s good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that’s _incredible_!’ Hailey almost has to concede his point. Turians almost always seemed so stuck-up - it was a shame, really, because she and Desmond had made some good friends when they met turians on their first visit to the Citadel. ‘Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don’t like having him on board. Call me paranoid.’

Alenko chuckles. ‘You’re paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment.’

Moreau is still disdainful. ‘Yeah, that is the _official_ story. But only an idiot believes the official story.’

Hailey agrees with the pilot on this, and makes it clear to the two men on the bridge with her. ‘They don’t send Spectres on shakedown runs.’

‘So there’s more going on here than the captain’s letting on.’ Moreau looks at Alenko smugly.

‘ _Joker! Status report!_ ’ Anderson’s voice comes through the radio.

‘Just cleared the mass relay, Captain,’ Moreau replies. ‘Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid.’

‘ _Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime._ ’

‘Aye, aye, Captain.’ Moreau pauses briefly, before adding, ‘Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is heading your way.’

‘ _He’s already here, Lieutenant._ ’ Hailey has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing aloud as Moreau winces. ‘ _Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing._ ’

‘You get that, Commander?’ The pilot sounds a little more bashful now.

Hailey makes a non-committal noise in the back of her throat, still smiling broadly in the wake of Moreau getting his ass handed to him by their captain. ‘He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission.’ Moreau snorts.

‘Captain always sounds like that when he’s talking to me.’

As Hailey walks away from the bridge, she hears Alenko reply sarcastically, ‘I can’t _possibly_ imagine why...’*

* * *

 

When she enters the comm room, she feels a little wary - Nihlus is alone, standing with his back to her. Her hesitation to approach him is not, however, born of fear, but instead from lack of information. All she knows about the Spectre on board the ship is that he’s one of the Council’s best operatives. Still, she remembers her brother’s advice from many years ago, when he started taking missions as a deep cover operative: _Never prejudge. Always wait for more information first._ It’s solid advice that’s kept the pair of them alive throughout their military careers, from their eighteenth birthday just over eleven years ago to this very day.

The lone turian on board finally registers her presence, turns to face her. ‘Commander Shepard. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m curious to see if you’ll live up to the stories.’ Immediately, Hailey feels uncomfortable. She’s not fond of talking about her past - she’s screwed up more times than she can count.

‘If I can allay any concerns, I’d be happy to oblige, sir,’ she replies. The turian’s mandibles twitch slightly. In amusement?

‘I’m not concerned, Commander. I’m eager to see how you react on the battlefield. Although I was expecting someone a little more... well, _male_. The reports seem to vary on your gender.’

‘Ah. That would be my younger twin, sir. Jonathan Desmond Shepard, also ranked as Staff-Commander. But he’s an infiltrator. I’m just an ordinary military grunt.’

‘Except you’re not, are you, Commander? Ordinary, that is.’ Hailey’s gaze drops to the floor, albeit briefly. ‘So, there are two Shepards in active service right now who have both accomplished impossible feats. Your brother defended your human colony, Elysium, from batarian pirates during the Skyllian Blitz. Then, a year later, you were the sole survivor on Akuze after your squad was ambushed by a thresher maw.’ She can feel a slight itch in the same area her biotic implant is located. _Stay calm, Hay. You can do this._ ‘Not to mention the massacre on Torfan. I hear you and your brother were both involved in that one.’

‘Sir, permission to speak freely?’

Nihlus’ mandibles twitch again. ‘Granted.’

‘Is this a test? Are you trying to get a rise out of me?’ Hailey stands tall, hands folded behind her back and chin jutting forward. The Spectre doesn’t reply for a short while, and suddenly she worries that she’s offended him.

Then, his mandibles spread wide in a turian smile, and he laughs.

‘Very astute, Shepard. This became a test the moment you downplayed your own abilities.’ Nihlus begins pacing in front of her. ‘In the Hierarchy, my fellow soldiers often view humans with some scepticism. You are, after all, still newcomers within the galactic community. Yet already, you and your brother have proven yourselves multiple times through various hardships.’ Nihlus halts his pacing, and turns to look at her once more. ‘And still, you are modest. That modesty does you credit.’

Hailey is almost stunned into silence. ‘I... thank you, sir.’

Nihlus gives her a nod. He wanders over to the comm console, idly runs a talon along the top of the nearest chair. ‘This colony we’re headed to, Eden Prime... I don’t know anything about it.’

‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you much, sir,’ Hailey responds to Nihlus’ unspoken question. ‘I grew up in space, not on a colony, or even Earth.’ She relaxes her stance a little; her shoulders are getting sore. ‘Though I hear Eden Prime is a paradise. Peaceful, the sort of place one might retire and spend the remainder of their life in harmony with nature.’

‘Do you plan on retiring, Shepard?’

Hailey bites back a cynical smile. ‘I’ve never thought about it. The Alliance is in my blood, it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My brother and I joined up on the day we turned eighteen, and we haven’t looked back. So no, I don’t think I’ll retire and pick up farming.’ Nihlus chuckles.

‘I hear that. I grew up away from Palaven, outside the Hierarchy, and my mother forced me to join the military after my father died. Being an outsider was difficult - I was always at the top of my class, but my peers, even my superiors, never truly accepted me. But I got to where I am today because I was dedicated to the cause.’ Nihlus regards Hailey with an expression akin to admiration. ‘What about you, Shepard? Are you dedicated to the Alliance’s cause?’

She stands tall and proud under the Spectre’s gaze. ‘Yes, sir.’

The pair turn to look at the entrance to the comm room as Captain Anderson approaches them. Hailey automatically snaps a salute to her commanding officer. ‘Captain Anderson.’

‘At ease, Commander.’ Anderson gives Nihlus an odd look, and Hailey’s eyes flit back and forth between them. ‘There’s more going on here than you’re aware of. We intend to give you the run-down now.’ _Well, damn, looks like Moreau’s gut instincts were right._ ‘This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run.’

Hailey locks eyes with Anderson. Her captain gives her a subtle nod, permission to speak without constraint considering it’s just the three of them in the room. ‘I kind of figured, sir. As far as I’m aware, Spectres don’t normally come on shakedown runs.’ She glances at Nihlus, sees him smiling. ‘No offence.’

‘None taken, Shepard.’

‘We’re making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That’s why we needed the stealth systems operational.’ Anderson pauses. ‘Besides, they need proper testing. What better way than baptism by fire?’

_Desmond would be better suited to this_ , Hailey thinks - and although she doesn’t vocalise her thoughts, the Spectre standing next to her clearly picks up on her feelings. She looks to Anderson again. ‘Is there a reason as to why you didn’t tell me this, sir?’

Anderson nods, looking grave. ‘This comes down from the top, Shepard. The information is on a strict, need-to-know basis.’ The captain begins pacing in front of her and Nihlus. ‘A research team on Eden Prime dug up a beacon of some kind during an excavation. A Prothean beacon.’

‘A Prothean beacon? Does it still work?’ Hailey is curious to know the answers to her questions.

‘Whether the beacon is still operational is currently unknown,’ Nihlus says contemplatively, a talon tapping at his chin. ‘But their legacy remains - the mass relays, the Citadel, even our ship drives, all of them are based on Prothean technology.’

‘This is big, Shepard,’ Anderson stresses, hands raised to emphasise his point. ‘The last time humanity made a discovery like this…’

‘I know.’ Hailey folds her arms over her chest, frowning slightly. ‘That discovery on Mars propelled our tech forward by two centuries, give or take.’

‘The problem is, Eden Prime doesn’t have the facilities to handle something this big. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study.’ Anderson rubs his hands together anxiously.

‘Clearly, this goes beyond mere human interests, Shepard,’ Nihlus adds. ‘This discovery could affect every species in Council space.’

‘Sensible we would tell the Council, then,’ Hailey muses. ‘We’re the newcomers, we need all the help we can get.’

‘You humans don’t have the best reputation, unfortunately,’ Nihlus says, mandibles twitching in distaste. ‘Some of the Citadel species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable, too independent - even dangerous.’ Hailey surpresses a smile. _What was that old saying from Doctor Who? Demons run when a good man goes to war?_

Anderson glances at Nihlus briefly. ‘Sharing that beacon will improve our relations with the Council. And like you said, Commander, they know more about the Protheans than we do. We need their scientific expertise for this.’

‘The beacon’s not the only reason I’m here, though, Shepard.’ Hailey turns to look at the turian Spectre. ‘I want to see you in action. By request of the Council, I’m here to evaluate you.’

‘Guess that explains why I bump into you every time I turn around, huh?’ Nihlus snorts with laughter, and even Anderson has to hold back a chuckle at Hailey’s witty response. ‘Why me? What’s this all about?’

‘The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time, Shepard,’ Anderson responds. ‘Humanity wants a bigger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Council.’ The captain pauses. ‘The Spectres represent the Council’s power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks-’

Hailey cuts in with another cynical smile, laughs bitterly. ‘Me? You want _me_ to become a Spectre? A soldier who can barely stop herself from taking a gun and ending it all on a good day? Not to mention the fact that I’m dependent on my medication, sir. I don’t think the Council would accept someone as flawed as I am.’ Anderson is silent, as is Nihlus, as the captain and the turian Spectre exchange uneasy looks. Unbidden, flashes of memory come to her—

_Akuze, 2177. The Mako rumbles over the surprisingly even terrain of the planet they’ve landed on. Tech support, a sergeant Connor Doyle, monitors their shields, investigates the source of the strange beacon their superiors had picked up coming from this planet. The soldiers sat in the back: Shepard, Toombs, Watson, Josephs, Unova, Frye and Bletchley - their shoulders bump together every now and then, and they exchange easy smiles of esprit de corps. Their captain (Jodie Marsden) sits in the driver’s seat, steering the tank._

_In that moment, everything that could go wrong, does._

_It begins with the smell of vile acid (an odd smell on a planet low in natural minerals capable of reacting in such a way). The ground beneath them shakes violently. And then the Mako is flipped over once, twice, and onto its back. Unova is dead when when the vehicle stops rocking. Her harness had come loose and the soldier’s neck snapped on impact with the roof of the tank. Her body lies prone beneath the rest of the squad as they hang upside down. They remain silent - as silent as they can manage, with Toombs whimpering to himself - while the ground settles around them. Marsden tries to reach for the harness controls, Doyle is attempting to make sense of the data the sensors are screaming at him, when whatever caused the Mako to flip rips away the front of the tank. Just like that, a squad of nine are down to six. Now the rest of her teammates start panicking. Toombs is having a nervous breakdown opposite her, mumbling at first but getting louder with each passing second - ’We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die!’ Bletchley is crying, Watson looks as though his heart is about to burst right out of his chest._

_Acid is eating through the hull of the tank. Josephs screams as it begins to melt his armour, splashing onto his skin and leaving a massive hole in his chest. The ground rumbles with more violent tremors. Frye, closest to the hole that was the front of the tank, pales to a ghostly white when he sees what’s attacking them. ‘Thresher maw…’ he whispers, then howls- ‘THRESHER MAW!’_

_Shepard finally manages to force her harness open and tumbles out of her seat, landing next to Unova’s corpse. Moving slowly, she crawls forwards, and reaches the button for the emergency beacon. The thresher is burrowing back underground, most likely for another attack. The beacon is activated, and that automatically releases her teammates’ harnesses, who all fall out of their seats. Josephs throws up, heaving violently, and then he collapses, dead from the acid in his system, in the puddle of vomit. Five of them left._

—and then they stop. The conversation hasn’t moved forward without her - in fact, it hasn’t resumed at all - but her mind still reels at the vividity of the memory, clear as the day it happened. Nihlus clears his throat pointedly in the wake of Hailey’s statement, cynical though it is. ‘Maybe you’re right, Shepard. Perhaps you are dependent on medication to battle the lasting effects of Akuze. Maybe you are flawed.’ The turian pauses. ‘But I’m just here to evaluate you - you, and your combat prowess, which interests the Council far more than whatever “flaws” you believe are obstacles.’ His mandibles twitch. ‘Besides, _I_ was the one who put your name forward.

‘I differ from most of my people. Yes, there’s lingering resentment towards humans from the Relay 314 Incident - what your species calls the First Contact War - but some turians within the Hierarchy see the potential in you humans. Your tenacity. Your emotional range, which seems to extend far beyond what other races in Citadel space - and outside - feel. Your creativity. There are plenty of qualities that you probably share with other species, but there are others that make your people so _unique_. The Spectres are an elite group. It’s rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don’t care that you’re human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job.’

Hailey and Anderson are silent in the wake of Nihlus’s passionate speech. If Nihlus himself seems surprised, he doesn’t show it - not outwardly, at any rate. Anderson turns to the commander, gazing at her steadily, imploring her to understand. ‘Earth needs this, Shepard. We’re counting on you.’

‘I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together.’ Nihlus folds his arms over his chest, mandibles twitching again.

‘You’ll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship asap. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission.’

Hailey nods at her superior officer sharply. ‘Just give the word, Captain.’

‘We should be getting close to Eden—’ But the trio are interrupted by Moreau’s voice over the ship’s intercomm.

‘ _Captain, we’ve got a problem!_ ’

‘What’s wrong, Joker?’

Moreau sounds grims when he replies. ‘ _Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You’re gonna want to see this._ ’ Hailey, Anderson and Nihlus all turn to face the vidscreen present in the comm room. The pilot, from the bridge, transmits an outgoing communication from Eden Prime.

What they see leaves a sense of trepidation in Hailey’s gut, festering away.

* * *

 

**Eden Prime**  
**Five hours ago**

Gunnery-Chief Ashley Williams had not intended to start her day shooting invading geth, but by Christ, she’s not going to stop now. She ducks down behind an outcropping of rock, holds her gun away from her body as it cools down. Bits of dirt, clumps of grass, the dust from pulverised rocks - it all flies about everywhere when shots miss their intended targets.

A soldier nearby is shot dead by… something. A flying thing. _Drone? Maybe._ Her voice is going hoarse from the amount of shouting she’s already done today, but she yells to the remaining troops, tells them to get behind something. Some are killed on their way to cover, but most manage to make it behind a rock or a tree.

Her feet feel like they’re about to fall off. She could drop dead from exhaustion right now, but Ashley isn’t going to. She has civilians to protect. She glances around the edge of her cover, sees a scientist from the excavation site sprint from behind the geth lines through the trees. He makes it out on their side, followed by a few of the archaeologists brought specifically from the Mars Archives for this beacon that’s been dug up. They have a camera drone with them.

Several plasma shots make impact with the trees above their heads. _Thunk! Thunk!_ Ashley ducks her head down, runs over to them, and pushes the group to the floor. ‘Get down!’

They drop like rocks, arms folded over their heads. One of the archaeologists is crying - Ashley can’t blame them. She turns back to the onslaught of geth fire, aims her rifle and fires.

Vaguely, she hears an officer talking into the drone. ‘We are under attack! Taking heavy casualities, I repeat, heavy casualities! We can’t - argh!’ Her gun’s overheated again. _Useless piece of shit! If I make it outta here, I’m writing a formal complaint to Alliance Command!_ ‘We need evac! They came out of nowhere! We need—’ The officer cuts off suddenly. He’s dead.

Everyone around her looks up in horror at the ship that’s appeared through the dense grey clouds. Ashley swallows.

_We are so screwed…_

* * *

 

**SSV Normandy SR1, Utopia, Exodus Cluster**  
**1045 (TCUT)**

‘ _Everything cuts out after that_ ,’ Moreau says. ‘ _No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There’s nothing._ ’

Anderson is focused - troubled, but focused. ‘Joker, reverese and hold at 38.5.’

‘ _Aye, Captain._ ’ The video shows the same scene, but the three standing together are staring at the screen again. The massive ship that looks like a hand, with arcs of red lightning splitting away off its hull as it lands, doesn’t look like anything constructed within this galaxy. In fact, it doesn’t even look like it should be able to land on a planet, but whoever - or whatever - is piloting it clearly knows what they’re doing. Hailey’s own mind tries to work against her, make her flash back to the aftermath of Elysium (when Desmond received his Star of Terra for refusing to buckle under the onslaught of batarian pirates), but she won’t let it. She focuses on the here and now.

‘Status report!’ Anderson barks. Hailey glances at him from the corner of her eyes.

‘ _Seventeen minures out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area._ ’

‘Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet.’ The captain is frowning deeply, brows furrowed intently. ‘This mission just got a whole lot more complicated.’

‘A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention,’ Nihlus muses aloud, a talon tapping at his chin. ‘It’s our best chance to secure the beacon.’

‘Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold.’ Nihlus nods at Anderson and leaves the room quickly, leaving Hailey with Anderson. The commander and the captain look at each other, understanding passing between them. ‘Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You’re going in.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: fottutamente legerro - fucking lightweight (Italian)


	3. Eden Prime (pt.2)

Hailey meets Alenko down in the cargo bay. The biotic is standing by the armory, checking his weapons and gear. Jenkins is nearby, gazing at Nihlus with an expression akin to schoolgirl admiration. The thought gets a chuckle out of Hailey, despite the dire circumstances on Eden Prime. The Spectre hasn’t noticed - or doesn’t want to notice - Jenkins’ staring. He holsters his shotgun on his back, and stands on the opposite side of the bay as he inspects his helmet for cracks or gaps.

She moves over to the bench that Alenko is standing at, and picks up an assault rifle - the Avenger, one of her favourite rifles. She can practically feel Alenko’s gaze boring into the side of her head. She doesn’t look up, but she does acknowledge him. ‘Lieutenant-Commander. Something you want to say?’ Out of the corner of her eye Hailey sees the LC flush bright red, and smirks.

‘I… No, Commander. I apologise.’

Hailey raises an eyebrow at him. ‘Feel free to speak your mind, LC. If something’s bothering you, don’t let it fester.’

Alenko hesitates, but Hailey nods at him. ‘I was just wondering why you don’t use your biotics. I know you’re a trained biotic, but you avoid using them. Why?’

Hailey thinks for a moment. ‘When my brother and I were on Torfan, five years ago,’ she begins, continuing to collect her gear, ‘we were the only biotics in our platoon. The soldiers with us didn’t say anything, but they judged us because of it. Desmond - my twin - went wild when he had the chance, getting revenge against the batarians for Elysium. Eventually, he ended up ripping one batarian commander apart with two simultaneous pull and throw fields, and the soldiers called him a monster. In his rage, blinded by adrenaline, he didn’t care what he did, but once he came down from the high back on the ship to Arcturus, he avoided everyone and drank himself into oblivion.’ Hailey shrugs. ‘Ever since then, I’ve avoided using my biotics because I don’t want to lose control.’

Alenko is silent, clearly thinking deeply about what his commander has just revealed to him, and so Hailey leaves him to his thoughts. She holsters all of her chosen weapons, and moves over to Jenkins. The younger soldier looks at her. ‘Will we be with him, ma’am?’

‘Who?’

‘Nihlus!’ Jenkins’ voice sinks to an awed whisper. ‘Spectres are the best of the best, and we have one on board our ship! Seems as though he’s getting ready for something, just like us.’

Hailey knows she can’t tell Jenkins the real reason that Nihlus is here, but she also can’t tell him that the woman he’s standing next to is a candidate to become the first human Spectre. It’s a conundrum. Thankfully, she’s saved by the arrival of Anderson. Alenko joins Hailey and Jenkins, and they stand to attention. The cargo ramp behind them opens as Moreau announces, ‘ _Approaching the first drop zone, Captain._ ’ Nihlus stands a short ways away from the rest of the group, and listens to Anderson giving Hailey and her squad their orders.

‘Once you’re on the ground, you need to locate the dig site the beacon was discovered at,’ Anderson says loudly over the sound of the whistling wind. ‘It’s your job to get it back to the ship in one piece. If you can help any civilians along the way, do what you can, but your priority is the beacon.’

‘Nihlus, are you coming with us?’ Jenkins clearly can’t keep his excitement to himself any longer.

Nihlus strides towards the open cargo ramp. ‘I work best on my own,’ he replies. ‘I’ll keep in radio contact. Good luck.’ He drops out of view. Hailey turns back to face Anderson.

‘He didn’t have a parachute, did he?’

‘No,’ Anderson says with a chuckle. ‘No, he did not. He’s testing out a new toy from one of my former colleagues, Alec Ryder.’

‘ _Approaching the second drop zone, Captain._ ’

—

**Drop Zone 2, Eden Prime, Utopia, Exodus Cluster**

**1115 (TCUT)**

They drop from the cargo hold ramp down the short fall of ten feet, their armour’s hydraulic systems compensating for the shock absorption of impact on the ground. The _Normandy_ hovers long enough to retract the ramp, and then it disappears back into orbit around Eden Prime. The trio make the short climb to the top of the hill, and Alenko whistles, soft and low, at the sight of devastation that meets their eyes.

Smoke is rising from several craters along the colony’s industrial block - whatever caused the craters is incredibly powerful - and multiple fires are visible, even from their current position, nearer the dig site where the Prothean beacon was discovered. No doubt there are plenty of casualties, both military and civilian, between them and their goal. Shepard closes her eyes at the thought. Jenkins grinds his teeth together. ‘God _dammit_ , man, this is my home! Whoever did this is gonna have to catch these fists!’

Shepard turns to the seething private, and rests a hand on his shoulder. ‘I know it’s hard, Jenkins, but we need to focus on our objective. Our main priority is recovering the Prothean beacon from the dig site. If we can help any civilians or soldiers left along the way, we will, but the beacon takes prime position, understood?’ Jenkins nods slowly at Shepard, a young man weighing 250 pounds of muscle all of a sudden looking much smaller.

Shepard leads the way forward, through the pretty forest and down towards a small lake. They’re moving slowly, in case of an ambush.

A flash of something white makes Shepard stop, hold up a closed fist. The two soldiers behind her stop dead, waiting for their commander’s next signal. Another passes, closer to them now. Finally, a third appears, and hovers over the lake.

‘What…’ Alenko whispers to himself, horrified, ‘is _that_?’

Something is floating over the water nearby, something round with long tendrils stretching down to the surface of the lake. Jenkins laughs. ‘Oh, that’s a gas bag.’

‘What?’

‘Yeah, a gas bag. They’re harmless, don’t worry.’

Shepard is disbelieving, and so she takes aim with her unholstered pistol and shoots the gas bag from their current position. The gas bag explodes. The commander looks at Jenkins and raises a cynical eyebrow.

‘…unless you do that,’ he adds sheepishly. Shepard rolls her eyes, exasperated, but feels somewhat safer, knowing that the local wildlife here isn’t out to kill them. They resume their walk through the forest, giving the gas bags a wide berth to avoid any accidental explosions.

Shepard’s ear pricks up at the sound of distant gun shots. They’ve reached the edge of the forest’s clearing where the gas bags seem to be centered, and there are a few large rocks around. _They would make decent cover if we get ambushed._ The trio duck down behind one, and the commander counts down with three fingers. When she reaches zero, Jenkins moves forward.

The soldiers don’t hear the drone coming, but they see its plasma projectiles rip through Jenkins’ shields and armour. Alenko tries to run to his aid, but Shepard holds him back. ‘Don’t! We’ve got to get rid of the drone first or we’ll end up like Jenkins!’ The biotic scowls at his commander, but nods and cocks his pistol.

Shepard pokes her head around the edge of the rock they’re hidden behind, and then rolls over the ground to another rock nearby. She holds her rifle across her body, glances over at Alenko, and points at the drone that’s approaching her position. Alenko takes careful aim with his pistol as the drone comes closer, and as soon as it crosses between the two taller rocks in front of the duo, he fires several times. The drone’s shields absorb most of the impact from the ballistics, but its sensors are damaged, which gives Shepard the opportunity she needs to come out from behind her rock and open fire, holding the trigger down in short, sharp bursts. The drone finally falls to the ground, irreperably broken.

Shepard doesn’t stop Alenko from running over to Jenkins now that the imminent threat of the recon drone is dealt with. She joins him at the private’s side, but even without looking at his wounds she knows that he’s not going to make it. The LC is trying to apply medigel. Shepard puts her hand over his.

Alenko looks up at Shepard, sees the regret swimming in her emerald green eyes, and slowly pulls his hands away from Jenkins’ wounds. The soldier laying on the ground between wheezes painfully. Shepard slides a hand under his head, holds him up so that he can look at her. The young man coughs, blood peppering his lips and cheeks. She can see the fear in his eyes.

‘I don’t want to die…’ Jenkins whispers.

Shepard makes sure his eyes are focusing on her. ‘Richard, look at me. Nowhere else, just me.’ They make eye contact. ‘Tell me about yourself, Richard. Your family. Where you grew up. What was it like?’

Jenkins wheezes as he thinks. ‘My… my mum, Josie… dad, also Richard… they met on Earth. Somewhere in Utah… they came here two years before I was born. Mum’s a baker, dad works on the farms. My sisters, Heather and- and Issy… they’re both younger than me… Heather bakes, like mum… Issy’s still in school…’ He coughs. ‘We grew up here, on Eden Prime… it was a good life. But I wanted adventure… so I- I joined the Alliance…’ He releases a final shaky breath, and settles back on the ground. His eyes go glassy.

Shepard moves her hand from beneath his head, and closes his eyes. ‘You did well, Private Richard Leeroy Jenkins. Rest in peace.’

Alenko looks at her. ‘What are we going to do about his body?’

Shepard sighs. Losing soldiers under her command doesn’t get any easier with the passing years. ‘We’ll come back for his body if we get the chance,’ she says, ‘but the reality is we _may_ not get that chance.’ She rubs a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. ‘For now, we need to focus on the mission. First priority is finding out where those gun shots are coming from. Then we need to make our way to the dig site and recover the beacon.’

Alenko nods. ‘Understood, Commander.’

—

Half an hour later, their duo has grown back into a trio.

Gunnery-Chief Ashley Williams, the last one left from the 212, is bent over with her hands on her knees and panting heavily. Sweat is shimmering in the sunlight on her forehead, her long black hair tied back in a messy ponytail. Alenko leans back against the rock next to her, equally tired, and offers the soldier a cannister of water. She accepts with a barely audible, ‘thank you,’ and drinks greedily. What little is left, she pours over her head, shaking her hair out like a dog trying to get rid of flies around its ears.

Shepard is inspecting the bodies of the geth that they’ve killed. A formidable foe she’s only read about in school, responsible for the quarian’s forced exodus from their homeworld - Rannoch - and their resulting exile in space. It’s almost impossible to believe that they’ve returned from behind the Perseus Veil for the first time in three centuries.

Alenko and Ashley are talking quietly when Shepard returns to them. ‘Thanks for the assistance back there,’ the soldier they rescued says, looking up at Shepard. ‘I dunno what would have happened if you two hadn’t arrived.’

‘How long have you been fighting the geth?’ Alenko asks with concern. Shepard raises an eyebrow at him.

Ashley has to think for a moment. ‘Half a day? Maybe more? I don’t know, it’s all a blur. Didn’t even get to have my morning coffee before slapping my armour on.’ Shepard removes a thermos flask from her belt, opens it and holds it out to Ashley.

‘Hope you like it black.’

Ashley stares at the offered flask, and takes it uncertainly. Shepard smiles. ‘It’s just coffee. I prefer it to tea.’ That’s all the confirmation the soldier needs, and Ashley takes a few long sips. She sighs as she seals the flask and hands it back to the commander.

‘Thanks. I needed that.’ She takes the opportunity to retie her hair up into a more compact bun. ‘Scares the shit outta me to think that the geth are here. Don’t know what you two know, but they’re real bitches to fight.’

‘But what are they after?’ Alenko muses. Ashley shrugs.

‘Search me. I just want them gone.’

‘Can you take us to the dig site?’ Shepard asks. ‘It’s imperative we get to the beacon and recover it as soon as possible.’

—

‘Well, _shit_.’

Shepard, Alenko and Ashley are standing at the entrance to the dig site where the beacon was discovered, but even without looking very hard it’s obvious right away that the beacon isn’t here. Shepard folds her arms over her chest, frowning intensely. ‘Clearly the bastard’s been moved.’

‘Either that or it grew two legs and ran away,’ Ashley quips unhelpfully. Shepard and Alenko turn to stare at her. ‘What?’

‘Where could it have been taken?’ Alenko asks. ‘Is there an industrial complex? Maybe a spaceport?’ Ashley nods.

‘Yeah, just on the other side of this hill. My squad was camped out on the top, looking after the scientists. They might have survived and seen who took it.’

Shepard sighs, hands now resting on her hips. ‘Nihlus, we ran into a complication. The beacon’s been moved, possibly to the spaceport. We’re on our way there now to investigate. Maybe we’ll catch our beacon nabbers in the act.’

‘ _Good to hear, Shepard. I’m headed to the spaceport myself, we’ll rendezvous there in twenty. Nihlus out._ ’

‘Right. Double time, people. We need to get the beacon back from whoever’s taken it,’ Shepard says, leading Alenko and Ashley out of the dig site and up the hill.

They haven’t even reached the top before they’re ducking behind cover at the sudden appearance of geth. ‘God, I’m starting to hate these things!’ Ashley curses, as they spy on the geth from behind the rocks they’re using to hide.

‘Tell me about it,’ Alenko replies lowly. Shepard silences the pair with a sharp look.

Because what they witness is so horrible, they’re certain it will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Two of the geth units drag a barely conscious farmer, stripped bare, by his arms over the ground, observed by a couple of recon drones and a slightly taller shock trooper. They reach some sort of device, lay the man over it, and hold him down. Then something activates, and the man is impaled on a tall spike. He writhes for a moment, then freezes and goes still. What’s worse is how the corpse… _changes_. The flesh turns grey, the muscle mass of a well-built young man reduces until the body is a shell of who once was, and bright blue circuitry makes itself apparent through the skin. When the conversion is complete, the spike retracts, and the body is left to lay there.

Ashley looks like she’s about to be sick, and Alenko has turned pale. Shepard closes her eyes, counts to ten, and breathes steadily. ‘What… what are they doing with those people?’ Alenko asks, eyes haunted in his shadowed face. ‘Are they… turning us into geth?’

‘I think the lack of flashlight heads makes that a _no_ , LC,’ Ashley mutters sarcastically as Shepard unholsters her sniper rifle to look through the scope at the corpse. The commander is making mental notes for the report she’ll need to write back on the ship when they’re finished on Eden Prime.

_The skin appears weathered, wasted or flaky. The blue cybernetic enhancements serve an as-of-yet unknown purpose. Muscle mass is reduced, and has taken on the appearance of extreme muscular atrophy, but with the cybernetics it’s possible the body remains as strong as it once was, or perhaps is now even stronger. The face is gaunt, with deep hollows around the eyes. The fingers and hands are incredibly bony and delicate-appearing. During the conversion process, somehow the physical genitalia is removed or altered so that the body appears to be sexless. Perhaps the conversion is to make slaves out of organics, as payback for the treatment they received from the quarians over three hundred years ago, or maybe the corpses can be reanimated as shock troops. For future reference, these creatures shall be known as Husks, since they are husks of people who once were._

Shepard watches the geth through the rifle’s scope, waits for one of the recon drones to cross paths with the other, and fires.

The next few minutes are heated, with Alenko taking a shot in the arm and Ashley getting grazed with mortar over her head. But eventually, the geth are all dead, and Shepard and her team are victorious - out of breath, but victorious. The two corpses that had been converted also number among the dead (or re-dead) and Shepard notes that her prediction of the corpses being shock troops is correct. The trio make their way up to the top of the hill.

‘This is where the scientists and my squad were camped out, above the dig site,’ Ashley says, looking sorrowfully at the corpses of her fellow soldiers - men and women who had become her friends - on the ground. Scientists are interspersed throughout them. ‘They might have left some gear behind, things to send back to their loved ones. Regardless, we should probably stock up on medigel. If there are more geth, we’re gonna need it.’

Shepard hums her confirmation. ‘Good idea, Williams. You check the hut over by the truck. Alenko, go with her. I’ll try and crack the lock on this door.’

Ashley frowns. ‘It’s locked? It shouldn’t be. Is someone still alive?’ Alenko looks up from where he’s riffling through crates, two small satchels on his belt already filled with unopened medigel.

‘Got it,’ Shepard mutters, but she draws her pistol just in case, Ashley’s words putting her on edge. _It’s the perfect opportunity for an ambush._

Thankfully, she doesn’t need to use it. ‘Don’t shoot!’ a scientist cries out as Shepard holds her pistol up in their face. Two anxious people stare back at the commander, who releases a pent-up breath, not realising she had been holding it in the first place. Ashley and Alenko immediately join the commander at her sides. The scientist who spoke recognises Ashley. ‘I remember you! You were here this morning, just before the geth attacked! Thank the Maker you arrived when you did - we thought the geth would find us for sure!’

Ashley nods. ‘Doctor Tyler, right? My squad were helping you and your assistants dig up the beacon without damaging it.’

The assistant with Tyler whispers to himself, arms wrapped around his frail form. ‘We are doomed! We have angered the gods, and they have sent their agents of destruction to punish us!’

Tyler groans. ‘Sorry. Please forgive Manuel, he gets… _funny_ , when he doesn’t take his meds.’

Shepard is unimpressed. ‘So do I, but at least I know how to keep my trap shut.’ Ashley punches the back of her shoulder. Slightly bashful, her shoulder smarting from the punch, she adds, ‘Sorry. Could you tell us what happened here?’

‘Ever since we discovered that beacon,’ Tyler begins, ‘we knew we had to protect it. We didn’t know from who or what, but the Alliance sent at least two platoons of soldiers, along with some scientists and archaeologists from the Mars Archives, to help us with the excavation. We managed to keep it under wraps for a fortnight, what we’d discovered, but then…’ She trails off into silence. ‘This morning, Manuel and I woke to the sound of gunfire and people screaming. The skies turned dark with the smoke of the fires. The 212 held this position, tried to protect the scientists. They told us to hide. We locked the hut after we were inside. Some of the scientists tried to help the soldiers…’

‘I have seen the truth! I am the only one who knows!’ Manuel mutters hysterically. Shepard cracks her knuckles threateningly. ‘The machines will come and cleanse the galaxy of organic life, and utter destruction will be left in their wake!’

‘Shut up, Manuel,’ Tyler admonishes him. ‘Take your medication or so help me, God…’

‘Do you know where the beacon was taken?’ Alenko asks, noticing the rising frustration in his commander’s eyes.

‘The last I heard, the beacon was in the process of being transferred to the spaceport, to be picked up by an Alliance squad and taken to the Citadel,’ Tyler responds. ‘I don’t know how safe it will be, what with the geth and that ship…’ She shudders. ‘…but you look as though you can handle yourselves. Feel free to take any supplies you see here.’

Ashley moves further into the hut, inspects the crates on the desks. Alenko motions towards Manuel. ‘What’s wrong with your assistant?’

‘Manuel?’ The scientist looks at the man next to her. ‘He’s a genius, but he’s never been quite right in the head. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin, after all. He’s alright when he remembers to take his medication, but with recent events…’ She shakes her head. ‘I’m not surprised he’s forgotton to take them. I haven’t brushed my hair properly for a week, and now it’s full of knots.’

Ashley grunts from behind the scientists. ‘I know that feeling.’

Shepard tucks a few loose strands of hair behind her right ear. ‘What do you know about the geth?’ she asks, trying her best to ignore Manuel’s mad muttering.

Tyler shrugs. ‘Only what we were taught in school, I’m afraid. They haven’t communicated with us about their intentions. All I can tell you is that they’re well armed, and don’t take prisoners.’

‘Thanks for the information, anyway,’ Shepard says, as Ashley moves back over to herself and Alenko with arms full of medigel, protein and stimulant packs. ‘The way back to the civilian complex, where we landed, should be clear of geth, but I’d recommend staying put if you want to keep your lives.’ She indicates to Ashley and Alenko, and they move out of the hut. The commander is about to leave as well, but Manuel suddenly leaps at her and grabs her arms.

‘You must stop him! The one with the machines! He will destroy us all for his own personal glory!’ he cries, even as Shepard raises a fist to deck him. ‘He works with _them_ , and _they_ follow him to the beacon! It will lead them to their goal! Then no one will be safe!’

‘Manuel!’ Tyler barks, and the assistant backs down, lets Shepard go. ‘Go and lie down, for Christ’s sake!’

Shepard is slightly shaken as she steps out of the hut, mind whirring at a mile a minute.

_Who was Manuel talking about? Surely Nihlus wouldn’t compromise the mission like this…_

—

**Industrial Spaceport, Eden Prime, Utopia, Exodus Cluster**

**1358 (TCUT)**

_Nothing. This is getting ridiculous. Where, by the spirits, is the beacon?!_

Nihlus Kryik is not familiar with the concept of failure. Every mission he’s undertaken for the Council, for the stability of the entire galaxy, has always had results, patterns he could follow to find the culprits and end the crisis. But tasked with finding a blasted Prothean beacon? Well, this one may be noted down as the first failure he’s ever experienced. He searches through another shipping container, struggles to see inside.

The slight scraping of a boot on metal sends an uneasy shiver down his spine, and Nihlus turns around, shotgun withdrawn. The subdermal plates above his eyes raise in surprise, and his mandibles twitch. ‘Saren?’

There’s another turian standing in front of him. He’s tall - taller than Nihlus - and much broader. His eyes are bright blue, intelligent but cold. He looks at Nihlus coolly, regarding the shocked turian with a sly smile. ‘Nihlus Kryik.’

‘What are you doing here?’ Something about Saren Arterius, his mentor, appearing out of the blue on a human colony sets his teeth on edge. _The mission was classified. How did Saren find out about it?_ ‘Not that I don’t appreciate the assistance, but I thought you were on another mission.’

_And you don’t like humans. Why are you here…?_

Saren regards their surroundings with an air of distaste, picking up a small rock sample intended for the scientists and crushing it between his talons. ‘The Council sent me to assist,’ he drawls lowly, ‘when they heard… _something_ had gone wrong with this mission.’ Nihlus swallows nervously. ‘Not that I’m surprised. You can’t trust humans.’

‘You’d be surprised,’ Nihlus says boldly, defending the species he’s currently working with. ‘Some of them can be quite magnificent. I find myself admiring them for their tenacity and their willingness to get the job done. Sometimes, they even seem turian.’ He shrugs. ‘But I guess we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Still, I’m glad you’re here.’ He turns around, to search through another crate. ‘I wasn’t expecting geth. They’ve made finding the beacon… difficult.’

‘Don’t worry, Nihlus,’ Saren says smoothly. ‘Everything’s under control.’

—

They don’t encounter much more resistance on their way to the spaceport, just a couple of basic troopers that Shepard and Ashley dispose of from the higher ground with their sniper rifles, before they find themselves in an area with more huts.

‘Huh,’ Shepard muses. ‘What were these used for?’

Ashley shrugs. ‘Storage, mostly. Some farmers live in a couple, but I don’t think anyone’s here now-’

But Shepard silences her with a hand, looking keenly towards the blacked-out windows of one hut. She sees shadows moving within, peering through the glass and then ducking behind the walls again. Shepard holds her pistol up, but leaves the safety on. ‘You might as well come out,’ she says loudly, ‘because I can see you moving around in there.’

No one makes a sound. There’s no movement from within the hut. Shepard sighs. ‘If you don’t come out now, I’m going to shoot the lock and force you out at gun-point. One…’

‘Alright, dammit! We’ll cooperate!’

‘For fuck’s sake, Cole!’

‘Let’s just get outta here. These bodies are givin’ me a right ol’ case of the heeby-jeebies…’

Three workers - two men and a woman - exit the hut, the woman looking more disgruntled than her colleagues. They hold their hands up at shoulder height in surrender. Shepard regards them with a single raised eyebrow. ‘There. Was that so difficult?’

‘Yes,’ the man called Cole mutters. The woman kicks his shin.

Ashley narrows her eyes. ‘There’s supposed to be a fourth one. Porter, or Powell, or something…’ The trio of workers look guiltily among each other. Shepard frowns at them.

‘Whatever it is you’re hiding, you’re going to hand it over. Now.’

Cole is the first one to break. ‘You can have it! Just take the damn things off us!’

The woman next to him rolls her eyes. ‘You never could keep your trap shut, could you, Cole?’

‘What is it, you run a small smuggling ring or something?’ Alenko asks, staring at the trio with distaste. ‘Stealing off people who’ve worked hard to get what they have? It’s disgusting.’

‘They weren’t gonna miss anything!’ the woman bites back. ‘Everything we sell, we get from Powell down at the spaceport. He doesn’t tell us where these things come from, and we don’t ask questions. Easiest way to make a quick buck and not lose your life. Powell can be… trigger-happy, when he’s actually awake.’

Ashley takes the third man inside the hut, comes back out with three crates full of military-grade imuno-boosters, protein and carbohydrate packs, and even Alliance-issue weapons. Shepard rifles through them, tosses Alenko a newer model of the pistol he’s carrying, fills the empty pouches on her belt with the imuno-boosters and food packs, takes the new Edge pistol, and lets Ashley pick out the updated Avenger rifle with a low whistle. The soldier looks at Alenko with a smirk. ‘What was that you said about a _small_ smuggling ring, LC?’ Alenko just rolls his eyes.

When the Alliance soldiers are finished going through the crates, they look at the men and woman in front of them. ‘You’d better get going,’ Shepard advises. ‘Don’t know if the geth are gonna come back this way, but I wouldn’t want to take my chances, especially since you don’t have any weapons now.’ The woman glowers at Cole, nostrils flared, as the man scuffs the ground with the toe of his boot. ‘The huts used by the 212 and the scientists at the top of the hill should be a safe place to hide out and call for reinforcements.’

‘Thank you,’ the unnamed man says quietly. ‘Even if you don’t survive whatever you’re doing… thank you.’

Shepard is about to respond when the ground starts to tremble. The six humans look up in awe as the strange alien ship takes off; the very air reverberates with a low rumbling sound. The smugglers look at each other with glee. ‘Is it over? Are they gone?’ Cole asks.

But Shepard is uneasy, Manuel’s mad chatter still echoing in her head.

_‘He works with **them** , and **they** follow him to the beacon! It will lead them to their goal! Then no one will be safe!’_

‘We need to get to the spaceport,’ Shepard says to Alenko and Ashley, and they nod, following the commander as she begins a brisk march down the hill to their destination, rifle held across her front.

_I just hope we get there in time…_


End file.
